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| By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor SPRINGFIELD Hampden County Assistant District Attorney Kevin Corridan believes there is an advantage of having a Republican continue in the state senate seat being vacated by Brian Lees and it's not necessarily an ideological one. Because Republicans are in the minority in the Senate, they can attract attention from the Boston press and speak to the issues that affect western Massachusetts to the dominant eastern section of the Commonwealth. "Running as Republican puts you in a leadership position," he explained. Corridan is runing against Enrico "Jack" Villamaino and Ron Cutler for the Republican nomination in the Sept. 19 primary. If elected Corridan would like that kind of pulpit to advance his message that the Legislature needs to put more funding in the hands of municipal officials. He believes that the moves made by the Legislature over the past few years to take money away from local funding have driven up property taxes. Corridan said that by having legislators make more decisions about how money is spent, municipalities receive less funding. Without that funding, cities and towns have increased property taxes to make up the difference. Calling himself a "progressive candidate," Corridan said that if elected he would work to "immediately move more money into Additional Assistance" the local funding that some communities receive and others don't. In general, he said, he would work to reform how the state allocates money to cities and towns. He added that the further one gets from Boston, the less liberty there is for local officials to make decisions. "It's not my intention to be a lightning rod," Corridan. "I'm a progressive, not a radical." Corridan has first hand experience about how the Legislature works. A Springfield native, he graduated from Saint Anselm College in 1997 and worked in the Legislature from 1997 to 2001 as a research analyst for the House. From 2001 to 2004 he was a legislative aide for Senator Michael Knapik and Brian Lees. During his time as a Senate aide he attended Western New England College School of Law and was subsequently hired by Hampden County District Attorney William Bennett in 2005. He is currently on a leave of absence from that position as he runs for the Senate. He believes that traditional Democrats elected in western Massachusetts are "wooed" by the power base in eastern Massachusetts and "get on board the establishment." Corridan expressed concern about public safety in Springfield the largest city in his district and said that a key to further economic development in the city is to increase public safety. He said he would work with local officials to help develop new businesses, such as another downtown hotel. Noting that Massachusetts has lost population, he said he believes the state is at a "pivotal point." He said he has been listening to his peers express fear they do not have a long-term future in the state. Housing costs are up, as well as start-up costs for businesses, he added. He said that residents will continue to leave unless there are reasons created for them to stay. Corridan acknowledged that some problems will take time to fix and that he intends "to fight for long-term progress for the people making up the tax base in the next 20 years." |